Chapter 11
After sendingLucy and Jaden to their respective rooms—and respective partners—for a little shut-eye, Gabriel and I retreated into our bedroom. I closed the door behind us and leaned against it, breathing a heavy sigh. A quick glance at a nearby clock revealed that it was half-past two in the morning, which meant I’d managed a decent night’s rest, though I was hardly refreshed. I guess that was to be expected though, considering the circumstances.
Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his rumpled hair—a clear sign of agitation. I couldn’t blame him. It’d been a hard week. A hard month. And there was no sign of things getting any easier any time soon.
Pushing off the door, I took a seat next to him, our shoulders touching. Just being near him soothed me, and I hoped I offered him the same comfort. Lord knew we needed it.
After a moment’s silence, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Gabriel snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me tight against him. “There’s nothing to talk about, luv. I survived the Academy’s bounty last time, and I’ll do it again.”
“You only survived because I kidnapped you,” I replied, hoping to add a little levity to the situation.
An attempt he rewarded with a chuckle. “Fair enough.” He leaned down and kissed my head. “I certainly wouldn’t complain if you decided to kidnap me again.”
Despite our situation, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Mm, I bet. With the chains too?” I asked, referring to how I’d originally restrained him to the couch. Damn, that all seemed like a lifetime ago. I couldn’t believe everything that had happened between then and now. Witches, demons, the Academy, Adrian and Elias, Chris…our lives had become so complicated. A rollercoaster of emotions.
“For what it’s worth, I really am sorry about all this.”
Gabriel tensed beside me. “What on earth could you be apologizing for?”
“Logically, I know this isn’t my fault, but I feel responsible. I don’t regret saving you from the original bounty. I could never regret that. I just wish it hadn’t caused this avalanche of repercussions. We never would have learned about the council’s corruption if fate hadn’t made us mates.”
Gabriel growled something unintelligible beneath his breath, then shoved to his feet and stood before me, heat flaring in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” he said, his words biting. “Absolutely none of this is your fault. Do you understand me?”
“I didn’t mean?—”
“The Academy is to blame for all of this,” he chided. “And me and Adrian. I am the one who chose to kill my mother to save Vlad and Anna. That had nothing to do with you. Yet you’ve been dragged into this mess. As for the Academy, let’s play that little scenario out, shall we? Say you hadn’t involved yourself. Do you truly believe I would have let Chris take me out?”
I shook my head.
“The moment I learned the Academy had put a bounty on my head, I would have figured everything out. And we’d be right here, all over again. So don’t apologize to me. And do not blame yourself.”
I couldn’t help but notice that his speech was remarkably similar to Jaden’s.
“It’s hard not to,” I admitted. “I can’t promise I’ll stop feeling guilty, but I’ll try.”
Gabriel sighed and dropped to his knees before me. “You’re mourning, luv. Your emotions are supercharged. Of course you’re regretful that all this happened. Who wouldn’t be? But don’t mistake that for guilt.”
Before I could say a word, he leaned in and kissed me—our first kiss since we’d escaped the cages. The instant our lips met, my breath hitched and my heartbeat quickened. This wasn’t just a kiss, it was a culmination of everything we were feeling, and an acknowledgement of everything we’d been through together. The hard press of his lips awoke something within me, but it was the tender stroke of his tongue that had me turning to jelly in his hands.
He pulled back too quickly, but he lifted his hands and framed my face, holding me gently, as though I were something to be treasured. His touch ignited a spark within me, one that warmed the cold dread that seemed to permanently reside within me lately.
“You are not a reflection of the Academy. They may have trained you and molded you into the warrior you are today, but you aren’t the same as them. You’ve proven that time and time again. Nor are you responsible for their actions.”
I nodded.
Gabriel offered me a small smile before he drew me into another kiss, deepening it with a tenderness that stole my breath. I reveled in the feel of his tongue stroking mine and craved more. If there was one thing death gave, it was an appreciation of life. And right now, I wanted to do exactly that. I wanted to revel in Gabriel, to feel. Life was simultaneously the longest thing we’d do, but also far too short and fleeting—especially for those of us not graced with immortality like Gabriel. But for us mere mortals, life could end at any moment. Chris’s passing had taught me that. Yet, it’d also sharpened my perspective. It made me acutely aware that I didn’t want to miss anything and reminded me to value every second givento me.
Determined to savor this moment, I slid my hands beneath Gabriel’s shirt, exploring his back with my fingertips, tracing the lines of muscles that defined his back and sides. His body was like an artist’s tapestry, a masterpiece sculpted into hard contours and planes that I wanted to lick and touch.
When I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and started pulling it up, Gabriel broke from our kiss and frowned. “Maddie?—”
I shook my head, then pulled him down into another kiss, using my mouth to silence him. I hauled him closer until his body pressed me into the soft mattress beneath me. My fingers sought the hem of his shirt once more, seeking the comfort of his skin, but he caught my hands in his, holding them still.
“Wait,” he whispered. Then he closed his eyes and forced out a breath. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I do. I always do. But you just lost someone very near to you. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
Had I been standing, that kind of comment might have made me weak in the knees. Gazing into his eyes, I couldn’t help but smile, my chest practically bursting with emotion. For years, the Academy had beaten it into my head that vampires were devoid of empathy and incapable of genuine emotion. Meeting Anna and Vlad had helped chip away at that idea, but it was moments like these with Gabriel that showed me how incredibly wrong the Academy was. Gabriel—who was the epitome of vampire prowess—showed more depth and love than I’d ever thought possible. It made me hate the Academy with a fervent passion. It also made me want to rip their damn building down brick by brick until nothing remained by the foundation. They’d trained their slayers to hate, and then they’d turned us into their personal assassins, all for a quick buck.
A gentle touch on my cheek snapped me out of my reverie. I refocused on the man perched above me, and all those dark thoughts about the Academy took a backseat. They would face their reckoning, and I would be the one to bring them to their knees. But right now, Gabriel was all that mattered. The rest of the world, including the Academy’s downfall, could wait.
“I lost you there,” Gabriel murmured. “You seemed miles away. Where’d you go?”
I chuckled, then slipped my arms around his neck and stole another kiss. This moment wasn’t about settling scores—it was about us. He was the only thing I wanted to think about right now.
Breaking the kiss, I drew back and said, “Thank you.”
“For what, luv?”
“Just for being the amazing person you are. For loving me,” I said, warmth spreading through me.
A soft smile pulled at his lips.
“Now, get naked,” I said.
His expression comically shifted from genuine affection to surprise. “What?”
“You heard me,” I said with a mischievous smirk. “Get naked. Right now.”
He quietly laughed, his eyes shining with humor. “Are you sure?”
“Very, very sure.” I tugged on the bottom of his shirt, then grinned when he finally let me pull it over his head. I wet my lips as I took in the sight of all that lovely pale and muscled flesh. The man was a work of art, one I knew I would never grow tired of looking at. Appreciating. Devouring.
I ran my nails up his back, delighting in his shuddering response. Once I reached his shoulders, I ran my hands back down his back, but this time, I slid them beneath the waist of his pants and stroked the curve of his ass. I moved to his front, popped open his fly, then delved inside, stroking his already hard length. With a groan, he lowered his head, his hair tickling my throat.
“Pretty sure I said to get naked,” I said in a husky voice.
“Little busy right now, luv,” he retorted.
“Oh, well then. Perhaps I should stop?” I loosened my grip and was about to withdraw when one of his hands clasped my wrist, stilling me.
He lifted his head, his eyes narrowed playfully. “Don’t you dare,” he growled.
A wicked grin curled my lips. “Then. Get. Naked.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He released my hands, then quickly divested himself of the rest of his clothes. He’d barely removed his socks before his mouth once again found mine, this time hungry and demanding. Passion flared within me, and I wrapped my legs around his bare waist, pulling his hips toward me.
“This would work better,” he said between kisses, “if you were also naked.”
“It would, wouldn’t it?” I teased, breathing heavily.
“Care to join me on the wild side, luv?” he asked.
I unhooked my legs and practically ripped off my pajamas with Gabriel’s very enthusiastic help. Jaden had gone for comfort over appearance, but right now, I hardly cared. Who needed sexy undergarments anyway when naked was so much better?
The instant my bare skin touched his, I sighed happily, a sound Gabriel clearly hadn’t missed from the look of his smirk. A smirk I soon lost sight of when he suddenly dipped between my legs. I barely had a chance to suck in a breath before his mouth found its mark, and he immediately began devouring me. I bit back a surprised cry, remembering that we were a guest in Sam’s sister’s house. We certainly didn’t need to wake anyone with our sexual shenanigans. Gabriel’s fangs brushed my clit and ecstasy jolted through me like a bolt of lightning.
I plunged my fingers into his hair and whimpered his name as a sudden orgasm ripped through me. My hips arched off the bed, and I clamped my mouth shut to keep from crying out. He didn’t stop though. Instead, he slipped a finger inside me, then another, and continued pleasuring me with his mouth until I climaxed a second time.
I was still panting for breath when Gabriel prowled up the length of my body. One quick thrust, and he slid inside me with perfect ease, seating himself fully. Usually, it took us longer to get to this point, but with everything that had happened recently, I felt this undeniable need to feel Gabriel inside me. A need he clearly shared.
Once again, I locked my legs around his hips, then I pressed my hands against the headboard and held on for dear life as he started moving. But there was something else I wanted this time. Something that until now, I’d feared. I didn’t fear it anymore though.
Removing one hand from the headboard, I swept my hair to the side and bared my neck to him.
Gabriel froze mid-thrust, his eyes widening, first in shock, then darkening with arousal. I could practically taste how badly he wanted this, but he’d never pushed me.
“Maddie…”
I caught my breath, then met his gaze and nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” I admitted. “And I know I want this. I want to do this for you. You’ve bitten me once already, so what’s one more time?”
“That was different,” he said, his voice raspy. His hands clenched in the blankets, telling me just how badly he wanted this. And I wanted to give it to him.
“This is different,” I agreed. “And that’s why I want to do it. I want you to show me what it’s like. What it means to be partnered with a vampire. I don’t want to hold you back, or make you feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself.”
“I’ve never felt that way,” he argued.
“Good.” I gave a dopey grin, the endorphins still flooding my body. “But that doesn’t change anything. I want you to bite me, Gabriel.”
He studied my face, likely trying to ensure the massive flood of dopamine he’d just unleashed in my body hadn’t addled my brain.
“It’ll be different this time,” he warned. “Far more potent. When you fed me your blood, I was out of my mind, my body riddled with holy water. I couldn’t make it pleasurable for you. It won’t be that way this time.”
My body instinctively shivered with anticipation, and my inner walls tightened around Gabriel’s cock. His eyes shuttered, and he groaned.
“Then what are you waiting for?” I whispered.
Gabriel brushed his lips against my collarbone before slowly moving toward the junction in my neck. “Are you sure?” he asked, his breath fanning my flesh.
“Yes.”
He started thrusting again, his fangs grazing my throat. “You are incredible.”
“Bet you say that to all the girls,” I teased.
“Hardly.” Then he paused. “This might be overwhelming for you.”
I nodded, my pulse hammering in my ears. I bet he could see it thumping away beneath my skin, teasing him.
“Don’t let me scream,” I said. “I don’t want Sam or Lucy charging in here.”
Gabriel paused and lifted his head, lust flaring in his eyes. “I can take care of that for you, luv. You just need to trust me.”
“You know I do,” I said. “There’s no one in the world I trust more than you.”
He kissed me again, then pulled back and peered into my eyes. “I can compel you to not scream,” he offered, “or I can just cover your mouth if you’d prefer. Compulsion will leave my hands available for other tasks. But it’s perfectly fine if you’d rather not have me in your head.”
I shivered at the thought of having his cock, teeth, and thoughts all inside me at once. I admit I was morbidly curious about his compulsion, having never experienced it before. And I loved the thought of leaving his hands free to continue the lord’s work.
“I choose door number one,” I said with a nervous smile.
Gabriel held my gaze. I wasn’t even sure he’d done anything until I suddenly heard a soft, yet insistent voice in my head. The words flowed through me, compelling me not to scream, no matter how much I wanted to. I nodded even though the conversation was happening all in my head.
“Good girl,” Gabriel whispered.
With a wicked grin, he resumed slowly thrusting, then lowered his head to my neck. I instinctively bared myself to him. A low groan spilled from his lips, the same lips that now brushed along the column of my throat.
“Now, Gabriel,” I breathed.
“I love you,” was the last thing he said before he bit.
And oh. My. God.
Pleasure, unlike anything I’d ever experienced, erupted within me. It was as if every nerve ending in my body had awakened to a symphony of sensations. I didn’t cry out, thanks to his compulsion, but I did gasp as I succumbed to the utter ecstasy roaring through me, my body writhing and squirming beneath his.
This was nothing like when I’d fed him my blood in the cage. That moment had been bred from desperation. This was something else entirely. I felt the bond between us strengthen, almost as though his bite bound us tighter together. The muscles low in my stomach tightened, and I groaned, riding out the bliss. I’d honestly never imagined it could feel like this, and now that I knew, I was kicking myself for having waited so long.
Bracing one arm under my head, Gabriel reached between us and put his fingers to work. I was immediately grateful I’d chosen compulsion. He was right. It was better this way. It didn’t take long to bring me to another orgasm, thanks to all his efforts. The instant I moaned, Gabriel pulled away from my neck, then quickened his pace, the force of his thrusts propelling me into the headboard. My back bowed off the bed, and I lifted my hips, meeting him halfway. Gabriel pushed himself deep inside me, then with a soft groan, joined me in post-coital bliss.
I wasn’t sure how long we lay there, him on top and me tangled in the sheets, but eventually, he eased out and lay beside me. I immediately curled up next to him. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed this—to connect with him again after everything. Barely a moment passed before I found myself yawning in his arms.
“You need more sleep,” Gabriel said, his hand combing through my hair.
“Mm. Plus a shower.”
Gabriel slid off the bed and hunted down our clothes. “Come on, then. Let’s get you all cleaned up, and then I’ll tuck you back into bed.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about me, luv. I’ll clean up once you’re done.”
Climbing out of the bed, I gently tapped his bare, but delightfully muscled, ass. Laughing, Gabriel wiggled his butt at me, then pulled on a loose pair of cotton pants. My focus lasered in on his beautifully formed abs and that lovely Adonis belt of his that pointed oh so helpfully toward one of my favorite places.
With a wink and an infectious laugh that had me grinning, Gabriel led the way to the bathroom. I happily followed, still eyeing that miraculous ass of his. With luck, I wouldn’t have to wait long to see it again.